Load supporting device

ABSTRACT

A device for replacing a portion of a soleplate where a structural load is concentrated, comprising a base, a stud-supporting means located on top of the base, and at least one soleplate-holding means extending from a side of the base; the at least one soleplate member for holding an adjacently-abutted soleplate section. The stud-supporting means supports a trimmer section or any member, which applies load, on top of the base.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates in general to frames, trusses, and their related components, and more particularly to connecting and load bearing devices or components employed in trusses and frames.

Trusses and frames are extensively employed in the architecture and structural engineering fields. Trusses and frames typically comprise several interlinked and interdependent members such as beams, struts, chords, cross-members, and so on. The utility of a trusses or frames, particularly in the context of roof construction, is to provide strength, bear and distribute the load of a roof or ceiling, to its interlinked members.

Several trusses, frames, and their accompanying components have been developed in art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,185 to Lindsay discloses a joint for connecting the members of a load bearing truss. The load bearing truss, made of composite materials, comprise at least three longitudinal load bearing members. The bracing for the truss is a combination of perpendicular and diagonal cross-members or all diagonal cross-members. The cross-members and the longitudinal members are connected by the joint, which resembles a sandwich. The joint encapsulates a joint area as well as spacers.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,681 to Smith discloses a web section for a space frame comprising a node member attached to each end of a web member. Four web sections interconnected by the chords of the space frame comprise a nodal section. The space frame utilizes two levels of chords interconnected by the web sections. The nodal section includes a protective cover to conceal and protect fasteners so as to prevent corrosion and also to improve the esthetics of the space frame.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,083 to Johnson discloses a space frame comprising a first set of beams and joints in a first plane, and a second set of beams and joints in a second plane; the joint being the subject of interest as it is compared against the present invention. The joints in the two planes are interconnected by diagonal tubular struts. Each strut has two shafts at opposite ends which are received, respectively, in apertures in a joint in the first plane and a joint in the second plane. Each shaft, while extending along the longitudinal axis of the associated tubular strut, comprises a fastening member coupled to it so as to retain the shaft in the aperture.

However, all the references cited above are used in conjunction with trusses and space frames unlike the present invention, which is used in conjunction with soleplates. Secondly, the above references are primarily used as connecting devices for connecting the members of a truss or a space frame, whereas, the present invention is mainly used for taking off the load on a soleplate so as to prevent its wear and tear, breakage, and so on.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a load bearing device, which replaces a portion of a soleplate where load is concentrated due to trimmers, trusses, or other load-applying members so that, the load, which is supposed to be applied on that portion of the soleplate, is taken and borne by the device. The other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a load supporting device designed to replace a portion of a soleplate where a load is concentrated. The device comprises a cuboidal base with a plurality of vertical bores, a stud-supporting means, and a soleplate-holding means. The stud-supporting means comprises a pair of stud flanges extending from the top of the base. A trimmer section, or other load applying member, is fastened over the base in between the pair of stud flanges by means of fasteners.

The soleplate-holding means comprises a pair of side flanges and a horizontal plate. The soleplate-holding means extends from a side of the base. A soleplate section is received in between the pair of side flanges and the horizontal plate and fastened thereat by suitable fasteners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the load bearing device in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the load bearing device in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the load bearing device in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 4 through 7 are different perspective views of the load bearing device is in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are different perspective views of the load bearing device with trimmer and soleplate sections in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are different perspective views of another embodiment of the load bearing device in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are different perspective views of the other embodiment of the load bearing device with trimmer and soleplate sections in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURES—REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 . . . Load Taking Device -   12 . . . Base -   14 . . . Top Face -   16 . . . Bottom Face -   18 . . . Front Face -   20 . . . Rear Face -   22 . . . Side Face -   24 . . . Front Top Edge -   26 . . . Front Bottom Edge -   28 . . . Rear Top Edge -   30 . . . Rear Bottom Edge -   32 . . . Side Top Edge -   34 . . . Side Bottom Edge -   36 . . . Vertical Edge -   38 . . . Bore -   40 . . . Stud Flange -   42 . . . Nail Hole -   44 . . . Trimmer Section -   46 . . . Fastener -   48 . . . Side Flange -   50 . . . Horizontal Plate -   52 . . . Hole of the Horizontal Plate -   54 . . . Soleplate Section

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a load bearing device is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in FIGS. 1 through 13. The device 10 is designed to replace a portion of a soleplate where a load is concentrated so that, the load, which is supposed to be borne by that portion of the soleplate, is taken and borne by the device. The device 10 can also be used where the length of a soleplate is very short due to wall direction changes or notches for pipes, etc, therefore compromising its resistance to split and crush under load. The device 10, preferably made of galvanized steel, can be fabricated in different sizes in order to comply with different soleplates.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, the device 10 comprises a base 12, a stud-supporting means, and a soleplate-holding means. The base 12 is a cuboidal structure defined by six faces namely, top and bottom faces 14 & 16, front and rear faces 18 & 20, and a pair of side faces 22. The six faces are connected by twelve edges namely, front top and bottom edges 24 & 26, rear top and bottom edges 28 & 30, a pair of side top edges 32, a pair of side bottom edges 34, and two pairs of vertical edges 36 connecting the top and bottom faces 14 & 16. The base further comprises a plurality of bores 38 extending in between the top and bottom faces 14 & 16.

Referring to FIGS. 4 through 9, the stud-supporting means comprises a pair of stud flanges 40 extending from the front and the rear top 24 & 28 edges such that each stud flange 40 is perpendicular to the top face 14. Further, each stud flange 40 includes a plurality of nail holes 42. A trimmer section 44 is to be received over the top face 14 and in between the pair of stud flanges 40. Once the trimmer section 44 is received, it is fastened through the plurality of nail holes 42 and bores 38 by fasteners 46 such as nails, screws, rivets, and so on as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, the soleplate-holding means comprises a pair of elongate side flanges 48 extending from a pair of vertical edges 36 which define a side face 22 of the base 12. The side flanges 48, while facing each other, are perpendicular to the side face 22. Each of the side flanges 48 includes a plurality of nail holes 42. The soleplate-holding means further comprises a horizontal plate 50 extending from the side bottom edge 34 of the side face 22 such that the former is perpendicular to the latter. The side edges of the horizontal plate 50 abut a portion of the bottom edges of the side flanges 48. The horizontal plate 50 includes a hole 52.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a soleplate 54 section to be is received in between the pair of side flanges 48 and the horizontal plate 50. Once received, the soleplate section 54 is fastened through the plurality of holes 42 & 52 of the side flanges and the horizontal plate by fasteners 46. However the device 10 can also comprise one more soleplate-holding means extending from the other side face 22 of the base 12 as seen in FIGS. 10 through 13.

All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation. 

1. A load taking device for replacing a portion of a soleplate where load is concentrated so that, the load, which is supposed to be applied on that portion of the soleplate, is taken and borne by the device, the device comprising: (a) a cuboidal base comprising a plurality of vertical bores; (b) a stud-supporting means located on top of the base, the stud-supporting means for supporting a trimmer section over the base; and (c) at least one soleplate-holding means extending from a side of the base, the at least one soleplate member for holding an adjacently-abutted soleplate section.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the stud-supporting means comprises a pair of stud flanges extending from two opposite top edges of the base such that the stud flanges, while facing each other, are perpendicular to the top surface of the base; each stud flange comprising a plurality of nail holes.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the trimmer section is fastened on top of the base in between the pair of stud flanges by fasteners, such as nails, screws, and so on, driven through the plurality of bores and the plurality of nail holes.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the length and height of each stud flange equals 4.5 inches and 1 inch respectively.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one soleplate-holding means comprises a pair of side flanges and a horizontal plate, the pair of side flanges extending from two vertical edges, which define a side face of the base, such that the side flanges, while facing each other, are perpendicular to that side face, each side flange comprising a plurality of nail holes; the horizontal plate extending from the bottom edge of the side face such that the former is perpendicular to the latter, the horizontal plate including a hole.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the soleplate section is fastened in between the pair of side flanges and over the horizontal plate by fasteners, such as nails, screws, and so on, driven through the plurality of nail holes and hole of the horizontal plate.
 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the height of each side flange equals 1.5 inches.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the base are equal to that of the soleplate except for length.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the length, height, and width of the base are 4.5, 1.5, and 3.5 inches respectively.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is made of galvanized steel.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the side flanges are bendable sideways for the change of direction of the soleplate section, the side flanges still to accept nails through the nail holes in that condition. 